


Dare I Say It: Kim Appreciation Week!

by BeeTeeDubya14



Series: Miraculous Appreciation Weeks To Gape At! [3]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Acrostic, Addiction, Episode: s01 Le Pharaon | The Pharaoh, F/F, F/M, Favorite Ship, Future, Gambling, Game Shows, Gen, Hero/Villain, M/M, Multi, Older Fics, Papilio AU, Running Race, Swimming, Trophy, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-20
Updated: 2019-07-20
Packaged: 2020-07-09 00:14:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 4,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19878421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeeTeeDubya14/pseuds/BeeTeeDubya14
Summary: Kim: Dares To Enter!Day 1: RaceDay 2: Hero/VillainDay 3: Favorite ShipDay 4: TrophyDay 5: Valentine's DayDay 6: SwimmingDay 7: Future





	1. Pacing: My "Race" Prompt!

Kim and Alix’s bets were always creative. 

The trash-talking was joking, but it did seem abrasive.

Both of them seemed crazy, did daring things bravely,

However, Kim noticed Alix won a lot lately… 

He wanted (just one time) to “put her in her place,”

So for the last challenge of collège, the two were to race!

This wasn’t the first time, but it would be the last,

But Kim wanted to prove himself unsurpassed,

And to have Alix defeat him as often as it did happen

Would not go unpunished; after all, I’m still rapping!

He trained and he trained and he worked for a win,

He wanted to prove he was something to kin… 

See, Kim’s mother had been an Olympic tryout in the past,

But she wasn’t good enough; she just wasn't that fast!

She’d soured and become a bitter lady, and eventually she passed… 

A grieving Kim decided to work for his own spot on the cast!

So he put himself into athletics, he ran ‘till he was winded,

So that to the Olympics his name would be minded.

‘Twas all this Kim confided to an old man, true,

And he was failing big time - what was he to do?

But the elder just smiled, and told him “I am Fu,

And if you’ll keep it secret, I’ve something for you.

Look on your bed when you are at home, 

And you will find a treasure; my lucky hair comb!

I used it quite often in my younger years,

But it isn’t much use now, despite all my fears.... 

I trust you will use it for right and not wrong,

And if you are struggling, young Kim - please, stay strong.”

Well, Kim lost that race (although it was close),

And Paris gained a superhero that old Fu had chose!

Kim accepted his flaws, they were things he did own

That made him deserving of the title of the Bee: Con Ong!


	2. Potest Praevolare: My "Hero/Villain" Prompt!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is from an older version of my Papilio AU. Papilio is male in this one.

Kim and Alix were rivals, sure, but when Jalil became akumatized, that went out the window. Kim felt obligated to do something; after all, he and Alix’s older brother had occasionally bonded during Kim and Alix’s face-offs, so Kim had plenty of reason to attempt to help. 

Was attacking an akuma without powers a dumb idea? Yes.

Was Kim notorious for carrying out dumb ideas? Yes. 

Luckily for the young Le Chiến, his worries had been sensed. Making his way to a watching spot, Papilio summoned a  _ comes  _ and began:

_ “Daring to help? How noble, young Kim! _

_ But you can't win alone - things will end out grim! _

_ I’ll give you a boost; I’ll give you some aid, _

_ You’ll do great as my Champion; you seem unafraid!”  _

The fully charged  _ comes  _ made its way towards Kim, landing in a new brooch Max got him to cheer him up ( _ not in a materialistic way _ ).

Opening a telepathic link, Papilio introduced himself to Kim, gave the Vietnamese boy an offer to help. Kim accepted without much thought, whether Papilio influenced him or not. One explanation of his powers later, a comitized Kim was set free to enter battle against the Pharaoh. 

Well, he wasn’t Kim for now. He was… 

* * *

Everyone knew Alya trusted Ladybug a little  _ too  _ much. The young blogger put way too much hope in the spotted superheroine every akuma attack, and it scared both her and Chat Noir way too much (not to mention way too often).

But as Ladybug flew up into the sky, propelled by the sacrificial beam of Alix’s poor brother and too far away from Chat to reach her in time, Alya was unable to deny; she was beginning to worry for Paris’ coccinellid champion. 

Suddenly, there was a  _ thwip _ in the air, and next thing you knew, Ladybug was in the hands of a new piece in play. Alya breathed a sigh of relief, but the experience of Ladybug almost dying had left its effect on her - not even Ladybug was invincible, superpowers or not. 

Landing on the ground, this flying savior allowed Ladybug down with ease. Alya recognized the newcomer as Kim, a guy from her high school and Alix’s rival.  _ Papilio must have comitized him,  _ Alya thought quietly, as she snuck away from Pharaoh and the overall action ( _ something I don’t usually do when it comes to attacks,  _ Alya thought,  _ usually, I have to get taken away _ ). That last thought brought it all rushing back to Alya about how much she had distracted and scared Ladybug and her feline friend. She decided sticking around was a bad idea right now, so once she was at a safe enough distance, she took off for home. Sure, she had a blog to uphold, but she could still do her work from a distance; this thought reassured her a little, and she started planning to herself how she could keep the blog doing well, all the while watching the battle from a distance.

Meanwhile, Chat Noir was duking it out with a now-livid Pharaoh while Volatus (as he called himself) helped Ladybug reorient herself. 

Before the trip Alya and Marinette had made to the museum, Chloe had severely picked away at Marinette for an undefined reason. The scare from being lifted that high had taken Ladybug over the edge, and she’d crawled into a ball when Volatus had saved her. Luckily, Volatus was able to calm her down, and soon, both of them were ready to join Chat in battle. With the help of Volatus’ excellent archery and flight, it wasn’t long from there before the akuma and its evil-powered moth was purified, leaving poor Jalil behind. 

Surprisingly, it was Alix got there first, followed by Volatus (who was depowered back into Kim upon getting to his friend’s brother). Watching over the 5 youngsters, Papilio smiled to himself, before turning into his Swarm Form and flying off to heaven knows where. 

The next day, Alix stopped Kim after their Latin class. Mr. Reticent, despite his name, was very passionate, but he could be very blatant. A lot of the kids liked him because he didn’t like to punish them; his detentions were more like after school study halls, and he worked hard to make sure everyone was alright. 

“Look, Kim…” Alix whispered, as if she was trying to keep her “street cred” in check, “Papilio sent me a note yesterday telling me about what you tried to do before you were comitized, and I just wanted to say thank you for that. Oh, and Jalil says thank you as well.”

Kim laughed it off, and their conversations went on from there as usual. 

Nobody knew the real reason Kim cared so much; see, Kim had gone through a lot of pain during his own akumatization; it was a fate he wouldn’t wish on anyone, much less Jalil. Once, Mr. Reticent and Kim had chatted once after a bad day when a crushing loss to Alix in some challenge he couldn’t remember coupled with bad memories of Dark Cupid. The Latin teacher gave Kim advice to live by. 

“The worst lose, and the good win, but the best people… well, they can win, sure, but they are not defined by that; rather, they are defined by being able to learn instead of losing.” 


	3. The Least They Could Do: My "Favorite Ship" Prompt!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No Miraculous Ladybug characters were harmed in the making or writing of this fanfic.

The notion wasn’t crazy; Kim and Max had both expressed the idea of polyamory being okay with them, even if polygamy was out of the question.

The notion wasn’t crazy. Alix and Ondine were very much in love with each other, sure, but they both were unopposed to having more folks in the relationship.

Both groups “pondered” the offer for a while, with Max and Ondine the more hesitant of each couple to take that step. Both groups had asked their old classmates and friends for advice, swearing them to secrecy, all the while not knowing the others were doing the same thing. 

Juleka, Nathanael, Marc, Luka, Kagami, Mylene and Ivan awkwardly offered their support.

Rose was less awkward in her offer of support, even offering to set both of them up. It was a surprise she hadn’t squealed to Kim and Max when she learned they were in the same boat. 

Lila, Chloe, and Sabrina found it hysterical (without the ill intent that would have been carried back in  _ collège _ ).

Nino and Alya groaned a little to themselves, remembering the time it took to get Marinette and Adrien together (not even counting the time to get all four of them together).

Marinette and Adrien, however, blanched. Was this what they had looked like as teens (well, minus the secret identities)?

Well, they had to do something about it. Kim, Max, Ondine and Alix had groaned alongside every member of Team Adrienette at their foolish endeavors, cheered for their relationship, and dropped everything to go their wedding. This was the least the former superheroes could do for them. When they decided to gather their friends up, everyone ended up coming clean about the wants of Kim, Alix, Max, and Ondine. The combined efforts of the 15 young adults led to an excellently formulated plan.

Many attempted schemes later, the group was no closer than they were at the beginning. At least it was bonding time for them all - they had not caught up in a while.

But alas, the four had got the jump on them. As it turned out, they’d all been dating for a few weeks; it was them getting together that inspired them to prank the others.

“And that’s when I snapped, Your Honor.” 


	4. Kim Quick: My "Trophy" Prompt!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This had been done last second all that time ago...

T is for Trophy, the name of this prompt.

R is for Race, when from Alix he was stomped.

O’s for Overenthusiastic - a definition fair.

P’s for Pompadour - similar to his hair.

H is for Hard Hitter (no wait, that’s two)... 

Y is for the ones I present these for - You!


	5. Bước Tiếp Theo: My “Valentine’s Day” Prompt!

The process of setting up the marriage of Kim Le Chiến and Max Kanté was not too difficult - the hard part was getting everyone’s emotions on track.

Max had proposed on February 15, the day after Valentine’s Day (a day which Kim now had problems with, thanks to Hawkmoth); years later, the joke would be that Kim had to survive Valentine’s Day to celebrate his engagement day. It was a bit morbid, but Kim couldn't refuse the challenge Max had presented him. Offering him a big surprise if he could breathe his way through Valentine’s Day, Kim completed the dare and was “rewarded” with a ring the next day when he woke up. 

All of Kim and Max’s old classmates, who all lived nearby, pitched in. Marinette and Alya had found them an officiant; Monsieur Fu was more than willing to do the service. Rose provided flowers at her shop, Alya recorded, and Nino agreed to DJ; heck,  _ Chloe  _ let the two’s reception be held in her hotel’s ballroom!

The wedding was almost set up, when the two realized - they needed a date! They’d all been practically living next to each other, and Kim (being Kim) had run to all their houses and screamed the news into their  _ too-dang-early-in-the-morning _ faces. 

It was Max who made the winning suggestion. 

“What about November 17th, Kim?” Max threw out.

“Why then,  _ hôn phu _ ?” Kim asked.

“My calculations tell me that’s on the other side of the year in comparison to… to Valentine's Day. I know you have trouble with that day, and it would surprise everyone, wouldn’t it?”   
“...Max?”   
“Yes?”

“I love you. So, so much.”   
The maids of honor were to be Alix and Ondine; even when the latter and Kim had broken up, there were no hard feelings, and the two worked at the same gym. After all, Ondine found love afterwards with this cute Italian girl both of them couldn’t remember the name of. Lina, was it?

Before Kim went to meet his husband during the wedding itself, Adrien appeared in the room with him. As one of his groomsmen (and first choice for a best man if necessary, but Kim wouldn’t say it), Kim didn’t bat an eye.

Adrien smiled, and put something in Kim’s hand; opening the hand, Kim found a pair of fuzzy socks. Kim had expected something like this, and was ready.

“If this is just in case I get cold feet, Adrien, I swear…”

“Aww…”

“Naw, it’s fine, Adrien! C’mon, let’s go get me married!”

The wedding went off without a hitch. There were no akumas (Gabriel Agreste  _ was  _ defeated a long time ago, but still…), no interruptions, no delivery problems - the worst of the ceremony was the crying because of the vows the two had written for each other. The worst of the reception was a little worse at first, but it turned out okay; a little cathartic, even!

Kim was surprised to see Chloe clink her glass during the toasts. The blonde had changed over the years, but she still hurt Kim a lot; could he trust her again? That all changed, however, when Chloe spent most of her speech (as asked for by Max) genuinely apologizing for her previous actions (the rest was spent congratulating the happy duo, of course). It was incredibly cathartic for Kim - he was over the past. 

Everything really did go perfect on his wedding day.


	6. Into Deep Waters: My "Swimming" Prompt!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This has been renamed, for those that might think I stole it.

Everybody had been talking about it for weeks; it was the big event of the school year’s end, and no one would miss it if they could help it. The time had finally come when Kim’s mouth had up and made a check his “strength” couldn’t cash, and everyone was eager to watch him crash and burn.

The bet had actually been made by his new girlfriend, who at first stood at an “as long as your challenges doesn’t mess with you, me, or us, go ahead and make your dares” standpoint. However, Kim was recently starting to spend too much time at the Card Game Club; coupled with the dares he made, he ended up missing more than one get-together too many, which (as you can imagine)  _ infuriated _ Ondine. In the same way, however, it concerned her and all of the Vietnamese boy’s friends. 

Reports from “spies” told them his most-played games, and those games were often staples of casino fare. If Kim didn’t stop, his worried family and class (plus Ondine) had a reasonable hunch on exactly where his life was headed. At least he didn’t gamble with money, and he didn’t do illegal or underage gambling - Kim was addicted, but he wasn’t  _ that _ far down the rabbit hole. So a plan was formulated to get the now-senior to kick the addiction, if not the habit before he did go that far. 

The day of the big competition arrived, and Operation “A.K.” was ready too. If Ondine won, Kim was to stop his bets entirely, but if Kim won, she would go to a Card Game Club meeting with him.

It was a small reward and high risk for Kim, but he was not one to think that through. 

Kim and Ondine had agreed to a 200 yard freestyle on the biggest pool the school had. While Mr. Damocles hadn’t been too willing to let them use it at first (and he was instantly against it when he learned it was for one of Kim’s challenges), he gladly offered them usage after Alix and Ondine explained what they were  _ really  _ planning - Kim was a troublemaker in this way, and to stop it short would be excellent for everyone. Max had agreed to referee, and Alix would be timekeeper and film - not that the two jobs were actually needed. 

When the two had entered, Kim was surprised to find the whole audience cheering for Ondine. He knew Ondine was the school’s prime swimmer, but he didn’t expect the clamor of the crowd to be more against him than favoring her.

“Take Him Down, Ondine!” 

“Dare To Win, Ondine!”   
“Quit Now, Kim!”

Such were the posters held in hands and shouted from the stands. Not even Max and Alix seemed to be showing him any support - then again, they were the “officials,” so they had to lack bias.  _ That’s fair,  _ Kim thought to himself as the two prepared themselves, not noticing the glares the two sent his way.

As both competitors took their marks, Markov popped out of Max’s pocket. His “eye-lights” changed into a countdown from 10. Everyone joined in the countdown. When the time hit zero, the small robot emitted a loud gunshot-esque sound, imitating a start pistol. 

Kim was off like a shot. Swimming as fast as he could, he completed the challenge in a personal record time of 2 minutes and 2.75 seconds. When he finished gathering his breath, however, he was greeted by a uncomfortable-looking Ondine. She hadn’t moved in the slightest.

“We’re worried, Kim.”

“...what?” 

“You spend all your time doing dares or gambling your time away, Kim. Alix, Max, your class, and me - we think you need to stop your dares and card games.”

The realization of how addicted he was sunk in. Ondine continued, her sad face contrasting with her steel tone.

“You don’t have to quit entirely, but you have to stop it from taking all your time. So we all came to the decision that you need an ultimatum. You can either get help in kicking this habit, or you can continue your gambling. If the second option is your choice, we’ll make sure you have plenty of time. You won't have to worry about keeping up with your friends (gambling buddies included) or girlfriend - you won’t have them if you keep like this!”

Ondine extended a hand.

“Take my hand, and we’re going on the long road to quitting the habit. Walk away, and we’re going away. What’ll it be?”

Kim thought about it. It would not be easy, mending the cracks he’d made. He was so far in that one time he’d got caught in an akuma attack thinking about his next move. Didn’t that say something? There were big benefits and big losses to both decisions. When one finally stood out as better to him, he made his move.

And the effects of his decisions made him happy for the rest of his life.


	7. A Show Of Love: My “Future” Prompt!”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ondine's last name is entirely fictional (and a pun). This one's my favorite.

“I’ll be real with you,” the game-show host laughed, “I never would have thought those dares I used to make up all the time back in  _ collège _ would end up with this happening.”

And he meant it - he’d been trying to get so much as an idea on what he was doing with his life before he went to university, and as he searched, he eventually stumbled upon the school’s Improv Club. Feeling completely at home with them, he quickly rose through their ranks, and it wasn’t long before he became the host for all their shows. The audience loved him, and by graduation, he had matured and become one of the coolest kids at the  _ collège _ , beloved and unforgettable (whether for good reasons or for bad). 

Things were harder for him in university, sure, but he graduated easily, and after working as an intern at a gameshow-based network, he moved up to a member of their idea team. From there, he worked his way up to his current job; the host for a show he’d actually helped to create. 

Entitled  _ Double Chiến Dare,  _ it was also his job to make up dares with the rest of his old team for the contestants. Every round, the teams of contestants were given a choice of 3 challenges. Completing their challenge earned them money, losing them earned them a trip to the Too Bad Box. After the round was over, all the folks in the Too Bad Box were given an offer: complete a last challenge and double your final amount of money, or take what you’ve got and go. The stakes got harder and the money grew bigger as the rounds went in, until there was only one team left to be declared winner. That team, however, had one final option in the game: If they could win a dare against the host himself, they would leave with triple the original amount of money; that, or they could take what they had and go home. If they lost, their lost 3/4ths of their final money.

It was a challenge for athletes in a manner similar to  _ Ninja Warrior: Le Parcours des héros; _ however, that only really applied to the application process. The first season was a smash hit, and everything was awesome; so of course,  _ something  _ had to happen.

It occurred during the  _ spécial été,  _ and that episode’s challenge went out to all of France’s best swimmers. Kim had been preparing to beat any of his opponents as usual; he’d been on a hot streak of victories lately, and he’d been asked to tone it down a little ( _ which he had been doing his best to do, thank you very much _ ). Before the episode began, everything was going perfectly. The lights went on as usual, Kim got his lines perfectly, and the equipment was ready to go. 

And then the contestants were introduced.

Of the three duos, the first two duos were not as special. The first team, Blue Jewel, were a brother-sister duo named Luka and Juleka, and they had some pretty awesome stories about their mom and the houseboat they lived in. While he wouldn’t say it out loud, their final times were some of the best Kim had seen all summer. Mylene and Ivan, the couple that made up “Team Horrorheart” were the names of the second duo, and their times were nothing special, and it wasn’t long before they were in the Too Bad Box. unfortunately. 

Kim’s announcer and informant Max had told him that the third team weren’t ones to joke around. Kim had no clue about if Max meant literally or not. 

Max meant it literally, but he was only half right.

Team 3 ( _ an ATROCITY of a name, really; who names themselves that _ ) consisted of a cute redheaded woman about his age and what looked like her very strict uncle ( _ never mind the cute thing,  _ Kim thought to himself,  _ that ain’t happening _ ) stood atop the third podium. As it turned out, the man wasn't anyone too special to DCD’s host; our dear host would later learn his name was Armand D’Argencourt, a gym teacher who now worked at Kim’s old  _ collège.  _ The girl, however, carried a feeling of familiarity, though Kim couldn’t place it at the moment.

“Nice to meet you, Team 3! Feels like I’m forgetting something… right, your names! I’m sure they’ve got to be more interesting than your team name!” Kim joked, garnering the laughter of the audience.

Armand introduced himself with poignance and dignity, but the girl gave her name to Kim shyly, as if she’d been starstruck by the TV host. 

“I’m Ondine - Ondine Hertz.”

It clicked almost instantly.

“Wait, Ondine?! I knew I recognized you!”

Ondine could only smile bashfully at him, making the host blush.

“I know, right? When I saw you on the TV, I knew I just  _ had _ to surprise you! I worked hard to make my way up, and well… here we are!” she told Kim, giving jazz hands at the end.

The audience, unable to help themselves, cheered for Kim, reminding him that he had a show. Breaking out of his reverie, Kim decided to (sort of) give the audience what they wanted.

“Everyone, this is Ondine Hertz! We dated back in  _ collège,  _ but we had to break apart when we were accepted into different universities.” 

The audience gave an  _ awww.  _ In an attempt to get the show back on track, Ondine quickly prompted Kim to continue the show. Instantly snapping back to attention, Kim did just that.

Half an hour (plus a commercial break or two) later, Luka and Juleka won the competition and a good chunk of money. Ondine, however, won a reunion with Kim, not to mention a meetup later. No one complained, not even Mr. Armand (who actually wasn’t related, just her coach). Meetups turned into dates, and after Ondine fully completed her college education, she was co-hosting the renamed Chiến Dares That Hertz. Kim couldn’t be happier; the only problem he could think of was the nerves the ring in his pocket was giving him… 


End file.
